Fountain pen barrel or the like and method of making it



July 12, 1932. J. N. wHi'rEHousE 1,867,242

FOUNTAIN PEN BARREL OR THE LIKE AND METHOD OF MAKING IT Filed Feb. l5. 1929 Patented Jully 12, 1932 UNITED? STATES PArsNIoFI-ICE JOHN N. wHI'rEHoUsE, or Nnwfronx," N. Y.

FOUNTAIN PEN :BARREL on THE LIKE METHODIOF MAKING IT.

Application led February 15, 1929'. Serial'lo.V 340,311.

This invention relates to la new article of manufacture, in the form of a tube or barrel` etc., so that it will presentv somewhat the appearance of marble, onyx, mOtherpf-pearl,

etc. However', Whatever visual eects there are in the finished article will be substantially limited to the surface of the article.

It is an object of my invention to produce in an economical manner and using pyroxylin sheet material, a fountain-pen barrel or the like which simulates very closely theA appearance of mother-of-pearl, onyx, marble, etc.,

and which presents entirely different' andmoreV attractive visual effects than has been possiblewith any of the methods heretofore employed.

In the accompanying drawing, in which I have endeavored to show the material and the method employed in making the new article, and in which I have also shown a fountain pen, of which the new article forms a part:

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a sheet of V pyroxylin material, for linstance celluloid,

Vwhich is used in forming a fountain-pen barrel or the like; l

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing how the sheet illustrated in Figl is rolled in the forming of the tube or barrel, and Y Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a fountain pen whose barrel and .cap have been made by myprocess.V

Referring to the numerals on the drawing, there is shown in Fig. 1 a sheet of pyroxylin material. which is in general characterized by the fact that it is translucent. This sheet also carries a design, and the design may include arrangements of one or more colors and/ or variations in translucency as between particular areas,or other markings, whether superficial or subsurface or both. The sheetV is rolled up, `asvinvdicated in Fig. 2, to form a tube. In thisloperation I may employ the' techniquesuggested in my Patent No. `1,661,-

451,.March 6,1928, that is, -ro'll the sheet on a mandrel f submerged lin av solvent bath.; After the tube has been rolled, to the desired wall thickness, -lit 'is -allowed'toudry yon thel mandrel and is, thereafter turned and polished. Novjoint will be visible-'exteriorlyV and the tube is nowpractically solid from the mechanical point of view. The result is that wehave a tube in which the'reis a multiplicity of distinct layers of continuous translucent material carrying the design that 'was' iniH tially given tothe sheet of materialwith] y which operations were started.` In practice II-find that about eight layers give good results, assuming acertain thicknessof sheet say110/1000ths`. In the finishedl article the' exteriorlayer of material exhibits all ofthe.

phenomenafof reflection, refraction, *diffu-l sion, dispersion, -and other, changing visual effects duey tointerference of lightreflected from the surface ofthe outer layer," modified and/or` augmented by theY visual `effects due tothe translucency characteristic of theouter layer, andali'ected by the translucency and design fcharacteristics of the underlying layers, intheir mutual effect upon each other and Vupon the outery layer. Thusl assuming that the starting sheet was made to vsimulate r the appearance of mother-of-pearl, it will'be seen upon'a comparison of Figs.v 1 and 2 of the drawing,that the marking which' I have indicated by thereference character'4 in Fig.

1, will appear also exteriorly of the tube whose krolling is indicated in -Fig.`2. At the same time a marking which I have indicatedV by the reference character 5 in Fig'. 1, and

which in the rolling of the sheet lis on a sub# stratum of the finished tube,-will be dimly visible from the exterior of the tube,'as indicated inFig. 2. I believe that while every interior layer more orless affects the general visualresult, only the three `outer layers can readily be-identiiied intheA finished article by inspection. The result is anarticlewhich has the superficial gleam of mother-of-pearl,

andin which from the remoter depths comeY the irridescence so characteristic of motherof-pearl, with all the changes due to the general translucency of the material, the laminated structure, the indistinct emergence to vision of the design carried on ythe interior laminee, and the mutually modified reflection, refraction and vdiifusion that results when light plays upon the-article. 'The end result is an approximation to mother-o-pearl which is unsurpassed inartificial substitutes, V, sojfar as I know. The salient l'feature of my new article seems .nto me rto .be fthe -fact .that n Whereas the design of the outer layer is clearly Visible from the exterior, the design of underlying layers, While not clearly de lined, I1'eyertheless emerges to vision, its very obscurity Vc'ompleting -'the ffillusfion of mother-of-p'ear-l. So far aslv know'fam' the first toprovidea fountain-pen'barrel or #the likevlmade' up of l.a multiplicity of distinct layers yof continuous ftranslucent pyroxylin sheet material-fcarryingadesignyso'vthatlight' may 'penetrate through vat Aleast fa fpluralityof Y the layers, 'with Ith'e resulting optical 4'eil'ec'ts r Which-i1 have indicated 2in this respect my article' ldiffers from th'ose -JvehielnV Yas suggestedvabove, :are 'drilled E out fo sol-id mate# ria1',because 'With 'thefla't'ter there issubstantially ino penetration of 'light "throiigh the Wall'- 'oi .the tube, i and consequently Whatever optical eifects' there farei-must 'to Y surfacefel'eots.

'Itelaim'z v p 'y 'Y l EL. As 'a knew article of manuaeturefatube for .fountain-'pen ib'arrels, Sca-ps, and the like,

-. comprising a multiplicity-of distinct "layers offc'ontinuous tr'an'slucent'A sheet material cfa-rsuperimposed layers heing combined to Iim-v part -to *the 'iinished article fthe appearance o-a blended design of 'appreciable fdepth.

' .2L AsaneW.articleioffmanuaoture, atube for foun'tain-pen barrels caps, land the like, i comprising 'azimu'ltiplicity fof distinct @layers .Y

of continuous translucent-sheetrmfaterial-earry-ing a1 design, fsuch layers Fbei'ng united 'by Y K surface rmergenthe idesignsfdf`x thefrespectiye 7 superimposed layers being pombin'ed to im part' tozthe ini'shedarticlie'the appearance (ifA s ablended designl of :appreciable depth. Y

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